


What Goes Unsaid

by Sangerin



Category: Spooks | MI-5
Genre: Canonical Character Death, F/M, Wakes & Funerals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-11-04
Updated: 2005-11-04
Packaged: 2017-11-01 20:31:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/360934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sangerin/pseuds/Sangerin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even death comes with a cover story. (post 3.10 gen)</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Goes Unsaid

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers: 3.1, 3.2, 3.6 and 3.10... you know, all the big ones for season three...

Even death comes with a cover story.

Danny’s mother knows what he did for a living, but few other people do. There’s a policy on these things – there’s always a policy – and a story goes out in the Edinburgh papers about the local boy killed on a minor peacekeeping mission somewhere in Africa. They keep the details vague, but the important thing is to make sure that it’s something will stir emotions momentarily, but won’t spark an actual news story.

Harry goes to Edinburgh for the funeral, with Ruth and Malcolm. Sam wants to come, but she’s still too upset, and Colin volunteers to stay in London, to make sure Sam isn’t the only one of Danny’s friends and colleagues left behind.

They’re flown up to Scotland and a local driver meets them. He drives them to the church, and they arrive just as the hearse is pulling up. A woman gets out of the car behind the hearse; tall and grey-haired, strong even in grief. She follows the pallbearers and the coffin into the church, and the rest of the milling congregation fall in line behind her.

A fellow from GCHQ who went through training with Danny and knows him as well as anyone outside B Section, reads the eulogy written by Sam and Mrs Hunter. He’s here as one of Danny’s Army buddies, and he mentions that the rest of the division is still in the Ivory Coast. He reads a message of condolence from senior officers of the regiment: the sentiments are Harry’s.

The congregation stands, and as Harry turns to follow the coffin out of the church, he recognises the face of a man in the back pew. Later, outside the church, Harry watches the familiar figure walking away. Neither Ruth nor Malcolm notice.

The wake is held in a hall near the church. Harry introduces himself by name to Mrs Hunter. She nods sadly, understanding who it is she is speaking to.

‘Mrs Hunter, we are so sorry for your loss.’

‘I’m sure it’s your loss, too,’ she replies. ‘He was a good boy.’

Harry wants to say ‘He was a good officer.’ Wants to say, ‘The service will miss him’, or ‘This country owes your son more than it will ever know’. But there are too many people around, too much chance that someone will overhear. And so instead he says, quietly and gently, ‘I mean you no disrespect, ma’am, but I somehow feel that I have lost my own son.’

She steps forward and wraps her arms around him in a hug. Harry sees Ruth’s eyes fill with tears again, and Harry closes his eyes.

Mrs Hunter steps back. ‘It means a great deal that you came. I must go speak with other people. But thank you.’ She turns to Ruth and Malcolm. ‘Zoe, I’m so glad to finally meet you. I’m sorry Tom wasn’t able to be here.’ She smiles at Malcolm and shakes his hand, and then moves away to speak to another group of mourners.

Malcolm and Harry hurry to find Ruth a seat. ‘Pull yourself together,’ Harry says. ‘We can’t do this here.’

Tears flood Ruth’s cheeks and her shoulders shake. ‘I’m not Zoe,’ she whispers. ‘I’m not Zoe,’ she says again, leaning against Malcolm’s shoulder.

‘Malcolm, take her out to the car.’ Malcolm nods, and puts an arm around Ruth to help her up.

Harry steps quietly up to Mrs Hunter. ‘I’m sorry,’ he says. ‘We must be leaving.’ He pauses, and swallows once. ‘Zoe is rather upset.’

‘Poor girl,’ says Mrs Hunter. The guests with her look at her questioningly. ‘Zoe was a friend of Danny’s. I’d always hoped that… she seems such a lovely girl.’ Mrs Hunter pauses. ‘Thank you again for coming. Give Zoe my love.’

‘I will. And if there’s anything you need me to do, you know where to reach me.’ He kisses Danny’s mother on the cheek and turns away.

On the way back to the airport, he wants to tell Ruth about Tom, but knows he can’t. He wants to tell Zoe – the real Zoe – that Mrs Hunter sends her love; wants to tell Zoe that her friend is dead. Harry wants to not have to go back to Thames House when they arrive at the airport to delete Danny’s file from the computer.

A few days later Harry receives a message from Mrs Hunter. She asks Harry to arrange the grave-marker, as she’s afraid she’ll say something wrong. It should be plain, unadorned, but Harry can’t stand that, and even the cover story demands that something be said.

The inscription reads _He served with honour_.


End file.
